Chapter 1007: Fooling Poison Master Bai

In his youth, Poison Master Bai had indeed been betrayed by someone.

It was a brother he trusted deeply, who, upon learning of the Silkworm Star Technique, harbored ill intentions, secretly replaced the medicine he had prepared, causing a cultivation error that nearly led to a qi deviation. That alone would have been bad enough, but he also struck him at the most critical moment of his cultivation, nearly killing him!

Although he later personally poisoned that man to death, avenging the deep hatred... his damaged body could no longer be restored.

This was why he remained trapped at the Nascent Soul stage, unable to break through, a lifelong regret.

But... after that incident, he was guarded against everyone, never revealing his secrets... How did this person before him know?

"Just now, when you circulated your true qi to attack me, the energy stopped at the Cloud Gate point, indicating a blockage there that prevents smooth flow! This acupoint is not a major one that is hard to break through; such a situation usually results from past injury or... psychological trauma!"

The middle-aged man ahead still did not open his eyes, but spoke calmly.

"As for failing to break through... your primordial spirit, though well-hidden, is extremely powerful. Under normal circumstances, it should have long been able to leave the body and soar freely, yet at the Primordial Spirit acupoint, there is not a trace of spiritual energy, indicating that the spirit gate is tightly locked and the acupoint is sealed. Coupled with the true qi inside your body resembling a cocoon, the rest is not hard to deduce!"

"Just from circulating true qi once... you can see so much?"

Poison Master Bai's voice turned dry.

As a peak Saint Domain fourth-level powerhouse, he had met many people with sharp eyes and strong abilities, and had even crossed hands with Seven-Star Masters.

But to see so much in the blink of an eye just from circulating true qi... he had never heard or seen such a thing.

And crucially... the other party hadn't even opened his eyes, keeping his back to him the whole time!

This could no longer be described as formidable; it was terrifying.

"Never mind how I see it; the key is you. The reason you can't break through is a lack of confidence. Without confidence, everything is in vain! Very well, you are a peak Seven-Star Poison Master, so your skills in using and identifying poison should be decent... I will now test you."

The middle-aged man smiled, and as his words ended, with a "whoosh," a wine gourd floated slowly over: "See if there is poison in this."

"This?"

Full of doubt, Poison Master Bai reached out and took it, pulled out the stopper, and a rich aroma of wine assailed his nostrils. His divine sense spread into it, and after a moment, he shook his head and gave his judgment: "No poison..."

He had just thoroughly examined it inside and out with his divine sense; this thing was merely rich in spiritual energy, absolutely non-toxic.

"Dare you take a sip?"

The middle-aged man continued.

"This..."

Poison Master Bai hesitated.

Although he could confirm it was non-toxic, drinking it still made him wary.

"You don't even trust your own judgment. With such a mindset, how can you go further? A peak Seven-Star Poison Master... is nothing more than this!"

With a sneer, the middle-aged man shook his head.

Poison Master Bai's face reddened.

"Your biggest problem, though stemming from a friend's betrayal, is not limited to that... The most important thing is that you don't even trust yourself! When you saw the spirit gate tightly shut, you felt certain you couldn't break through and wanted to give up... With such a lack of self-confidence, how can you take the final step and achieve greater strength?"

The middle-aged man continued.

"I..."

Poison Master Bai was speechless.

The other party was right. Because of that incident, he had become suspicious of outsiders, and over time, this suspicion grew heavier, even causing him to lose confidence in himself.

"Since you've determined there's no poison inside, why don't you dare drink? Is it because you doubt your own judgment, or are you afraid of dying from poison?"

The middle-aged man pressed on.

Pressed by the questioning, Poison Master Bai trembled, his face alternating between red and pale. After a moment, he looked up and said with sincerity: "Senior, what should I do?"

The other party far surpassed him in both insight and experience. At this moment, in his heart, even if he wasn't the founding patriarch, he must be someone whose study of poison far exceeded his own.

Calling him 'senior' was not inappropriate.

"Break the doubts and shackles in your heart..."

His voice carried an air of superiority, as if the middle-aged man was guiding all beings: "Trust your judgment, drink this wine, and naturally, all doubts will vanish!"

After a moment's hesitation, Poison Master Bai gritted his teeth: "Right, since I've judged it non-toxic, what is there to fear?"

Having confirmed there was no poison, why wouldn't he dare drink?

Even if he were poisoned, he still had a Heavenly Fragrance Detoxification Pill on him, enough to handle anything.

With that thought, he hesitated no more, raised the gourd to his mouth, and took several large gulps of the fine wine, "gulp, gulp!" Immediately, he felt as if the heart demon that had been oppressing him had vanished. His face lit up with joy, and he couldn't help but exclaim: "Good wine!"

Because of the betrayal he had suffered, he distrusted outsiders and lacked confidence in himself—this morbid state had always accompanied him. And now... it seemed to have been cured by the other party's gourd of wine.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"

Poison Master Bai bowed.

Regardless of the other party's specific identity, helping him eliminate his heart demon was a great kindness.

"Do you believe I am your patriarch?"

The middle-aged man asked.

"I..."

Poison Master Bai was deeply embarrassed.

He had come here to investigate the other party's identity, but now it seemed that the moment he entered, he had been seen through, though the other party hadn't called him out.

"Your insight and vision, Senior, are beyond my reach... but to say you are the founding patriarch possessing a body still seems incredible... Would it be convenient for me to probe with my primordial spirit? If I truly confirm it is an innate poison soul body, Bai Ting will kowtow and apologize!"

After a moment's hesitation, Poison Master Bai said.

Although he was already seventy to eighty percent convinced, he still felt uneasy without probing.

After all, as far as he knew, the founding patriarch was unequivocally female, while the person before him was undoubtedly male.

The middle-aged man ahead did not answer his question but instead waved his hand: "The innate poison body, also known as the disaster body, brings deadly poison wherever it goes—you must have heard of this, right?"

"Yes!"

Poison Master Bai nodded.

As a peak Seven-Star Poison Master, he had long heard of the marvels of the innate poison body. The disaster body was not only immune to all poisons but, if not properly suppressed, its true qi itself contained deadly poison, turning any place it went into a disaster from which no one could escape.

"Although I am now only a remnant soul, my essence remains unchanged. The body I inhabit, this Sun Qiang, though not lacking in talent, still cannot maintain the characteristics of the soul... Therefore, this room, the moment I entered, was already filled with deadly poison... And since you came in, you have naturally been poisoned!"

The middle-aged man said.

"Poisoned?" Poison Master Bai was startled.

When he had swept his divine sense over the wine gourd earlier, he had also examined the surroundings and saw no toxic gas or powder!

Moreover, if he were truly poisoned, how could he not know?

He felt nothing at all.

"What, you don't believe me?" The middle-aged man laughed.

"It's not that I don't believe you, Senior... but I have been in contact with poisons since childhood, and I don't feel... that there is poison here!"

Poison Master Bai looked around again in confusion, then shook his head once more.

"Don't feel it?"

The middle-aged man chuckled and sighed: "If the poison gas released by the innate poison body were so easy for you to detect, how could it become the patriarch of the Poison Hall, founding a new profession that even Master Kong fears?"

With that, he lightly rubbed his fingers together.

Snap!

A sound rang out, and Poison Master Bai immediately felt his whole body stiffen, as if a deadly poison had long been hidden inside him, now released at the other's control. His face turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with terror.

Since entering the room, he had been cautious—when had he been poisoned?

Could it be... just as the other had said, wherever the innate poison body went, disaster followed, and even a poison master could not escape?

"Do you believe me now?"

Stopping the poison attack, the middle-aged man said calmly.

"I... I believe!"

Gritting his teeth, Poison Master Bai quickly nodded.

If he had had doubts before, now he was absolutely convinced.

As a peak Seven-Star Poison Master, he didn't even know when he had been poisoned. The other's skill with poison was far beyond his own!

Most crucially, he could sense that the deadly poison had penetrated every minute acupoint in his body. Not only could it not be expelled, but even the Heavenly Fragrance Detoxification Pill was useless.

Being poisoned without knowing it, and unable to detoxify... this must be the power and ability of the innate poison body!

"Your junior, Seven-Star Poison Master Bai Ting, pays respects to the Patriarch!"

Now convinced, he no longer dared to probe the other's soul with his primordial spirit. He quickly knelt on the ground, his face full of reverence.

"Rise!"

The middle-aged man waved his hand.

This middle-aged man was, of course, Zhang Xuan disguised as Sun Qiang.

This fellow before him was a peak Saint Domain fourth-level powerhouse. To make him yield without a fight, a few light threats would not suffice.

After all, if he didn't suspect anything, it was fine, but once he did, he might attack. If Zhang Xuan couldn't summon the Purple Leaf King in time, he might even be killed on the spot!

So, to be safe, it was better to poison him first.

Thus, he deliberately pretended to bump into the bookshelf, causing the other to circulate his power. Then, using the library to detect his flaws, he bluffed with his silver tongue.

With shock in his heart, a flaw naturally appeared, and Zhang Xuan used this to make him drink the wine infused with true qi.

As for the talk about the poison body and such, it was all fake.

Although Wei Ruyan had the innate poison body, limited by her cultivation, she could hardly poison a Saint Domain powerhouse, let alone this fourth-level expert.

Zhang Xuan didn't have that ability either. The reason the other was poisoned was precisely because of the wine he had drunk.

Of course... as long as he didn't say anything, the other would think he had been poisoned by prolonged exposure to the innate poison body, naturally becoming fearful and no longer daring to act rashly.

Seeing that the other was completely convinced, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment's hesitation, he asked: "My soul is possessing a body, greatly weakening my strength, and I have lost many memories. Now I cannot suppress this poison gas, which may erupt at any time. Do you have any good method to resolve this situation?"